The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement on Friday that its staff confirmed that some of the walking trails in Taipa and Coloane are littered with used facemasks, urging the public to protect the environment and pay attention to public hygiene.

The statement also urged the public to protect nature and continue to cooperate with the government’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic prevention work, as the bureau has stepped up inspections to maintain the hiking environment as all public green spaces have reopened to the general public.

The statement pointed out that IAM inspectors have found that the number of hikers littering in the surroundings of many of the walking trails in Taipa and Coloane has increased. Some of them even discarded used facemasks.

In addition, the statement said that off-road cyclists have been riding recklessly fast on narrow walking trails and even have been using public places to set up platforms for jumps, warning that the cyclists are a posing danger to themselves and hikers.

The IAM statement said that this kind of reckless behaviour is a violation of the General Regulations for Public Places, such as by littering in public places, riding bicycles on walking trails, and occupying public places. Offenders are facing a fine ranging from 300 to 600 patacas, according to the statement.

The bureau urged people to be responsible and protect the hiking areas. In order to avoid any adverse impact on the natural environment, wildlife and other users, rubbish should be properly disposed of, and for the safety of cycling enthusiasts and hikers, cyclists should use the cycling trail in Taipa’s Travessa da Baía waterfront leisure area or the Lotus Flower cycling trail in Estrada do Dique Oeste in Coloane.